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Old November 20, 2013, 12:29 PM   #28
44 AMP
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Join Date: March 11, 2006
Location: Upper US
Posts: 28,677
Accepted practice...for well over 100 years....

Doesn't matter who makes the gun. What matters is who sells it.

Ever hear of Sears Roebuck & Co.? Montgomery Wards? Western Auto? They were some of the biggest gun sellers in our history, volume wise. There are others too.

They sold guns they didn't make. Sears never made a gun, as far as I know. Their guns came from gun makers like Winchester, Marlin, Savage, Stevens, etc, and were marked with the store brand name. Western Field, Marshwood, Ted Williams, etc. In many cases, the actual maker's name was no where on the gun. And, the actual maker and model # only mattered when/if you needed replacement parts.

The "information overload" on your gun is the result of various laws, some of which are not even firearm specific (nation where it was made, for one).

Since 1968, all guns imported into the US have to have the importer's name & address. The actual manufacturer's name is also on the gun, not sure if that requirement is a law, or just common business practice today.

For any legal purpose (purchase, sale, registration, etc.,) your gun is a S&W.
The fact that it was made for S&W by Walther only matters when you need parts, or are discussing the specific mechanical attributes of the gun in a firearms discussion.

I have a Browning BDA .45. Clearly marked "Browning" (address, etc) on one side of the slide. Also marked "Browning" on one of the grips. On the other side of the slide, it says "SIG-Sauer system made in Germany".

The gun IS a BROWNING. It also happens to be a SIG P220 model (the original style).

I do not know what your state requires for its paperwork, but it is important to you that you see to it that they get it "right". Otherwise, you could be in legal trouble, if, at some point it becomes an issue. Because if it does, at that time, you will be the one considered to be in error, or in violation, not the five thumbed clerk who wrote incorrect (or incomplete) information on the forms.

Also, make very sure that if you ever have to give the information about your gun(s) to the police, or any govt agency, that not only is your information correct, but what they write down is correct, as well. And its important to do that AT THE TIME the records are created. The maker (seller/importer), caliber and serial # alone are NOT ENOUGH. (unless the gun is one of those where there is only one model made).

As an example, there was a case discussed here some time back, where a fellow got into some legal hassles because the police had incomplete information. I forget all the details, but essentially, he had a S&W .38spl, model XX, ser# 12345.

The police had a report saying "S&W .38cal ser#12345" had been stolen some years before. And that's all they had for info. IIRC, it turned out well, as the police report actually dated from before the gun that the fellow had was manufactured.

It is common knowledge, at least among gun fanciers that makers often use serial # runs for different models. It is rare for one of us to find the identical # on different models of guns, but it's something that was/is done.

There could be a model 10, a model 15, and a model 60, all in ".38 cal" with the exact same serial#. There might be a ser#12345 in .38 S&W caliber, and another gun, different model, in .38 Special caliber also with serial # 12345.

Your gun is mechanically a Walther, Walther made it, and if you need any parts, you need to know its a Walther, and what model. BUT your gun was also made by Walther for S&W, and sold by S&W, so, for ALL legal requirements, it IS a S&W.

Hope this helps.
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